Testing Potentials
by VNex
Summary: Yep, it's another pick-on-Jim fic.   Jim's been abducted, but for what reason? Rated for language, no intentional pairings, genre may change based on applicable feedback.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Another day another debt to pay, even after having found the greatest treasure of all about a year ago; of course nothing had really changed at all since then. Gene was still an irresponsible slacker, Mel was on kitchen and cleaning duty, Jim worked himself to the bone being the overly responsible one despite being the youngest, Aisha and Suzuka would still occasionally visit and Fred would still lend them money or offer jobs while hitting on the boys.

Jim started that particular morning by going over the inventory in their store and making notes of parts that needed to be restocked. They were getting low on several key parts but the cost should still be within their budget, especially since he had a nice repair job lined up for that night. It was a one-person job that either he or Gene could do but since most people seemed to think Gene was the swindler right off the bat he usually can get more for the same job.

He could smell Mel's cooking in the kitchen which indicated that the variant of eggs, toast, coffee and vitamin supplements was about done. Finishing his list he shoved a paper copy into his pocket and wandered into the kitchen, "Morning Mel, smells good as usual."

"Good morning Jim, Gene's still not up."

"Figures, he was out late drinking away money we don't have again."

Mel just smiled and joined him at the table, food having just been served. "Do you have any work lined up for today?"

"As it stands we just have a repair job tonight, it really only needs one person there but we're out of parts we'll need for it. I'll run up to Vaughn's and see if I can restock, hopefully for a discount."

"You go through parts quickly don't you?"

"A lot quicker than I'd like, that's for sure. Fortunately Vaughn doesn't mind throwing us discounts if I can do a couple random repair jobs he can't do himself."

"That's always good, isn't it?"

"Yes, the jobs are usually not even worth the discount we get but it helps a lot and I'm _not_ one to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Especially when it comes to saving money!"

Jim finished his breakfast quickly and got up to go, "I shouldn't be gone too long but Aniki should get up for the rare chance that a job might actually come in while I'm out. He _might_ respond if you remind him that his eggs are getting cold."

Mel gave a soft giggle, "Yes, he does hate cold eggs, it should do the trick."

With a small grin he got up to go, leaving Mel to clean up their dishes before trying to wake the slacker. He didn't know why but for some reason he stopped and let her know he was going to walk since it wasn't that far to the parts shop.

Stepping outside he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright morning light before looking around; he had been getting the feeling of being watched for the past couple days when outside and it was starting to get on his nerves. Gene had asked him about his furrowed brow during their last job and he just passed it off as stressing over finances as usual; after all, if the red-head's superior senses weren't picking up on anything it had to just be his imagination, right?

He stretched and started walking to Vaughn's shop, it was less than a mile walk and it felt good to be mobile as he had fallen asleep at the computer while trying to find work leads… again. The streets seemed more vacant than normal but he just figured it was due to the early hour, most people wouldn't be up at the ass crack of dawn unless they were opening a shop.

Behind him a vehicle was coming down the street at a lazy pace, music blaring and the bass up to just under the decibel the cops would pull it over. Such a thing wasn't uncommon so he paid it no mind; that is until it cut him off as he was able to cross the street. The van didn't even take the time to stop fully as the door was ripped open and he was hauled inside of it in a matter of seconds, the loud music drowning out any cries for help before his mouth was covered in duct tape and his eyes blindfolded.

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><p>AN: Standard disclaimers apply.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Melfina paced around the living room once again in worry, "Gene, I'm serious he's been gone too long this time. He said he'd be back soon even if he was walking and it's well past lunch time now."

Gene just sat on the couch, flipping through the television stations seemingly unworried at his partner's long absence. "He's fine Mel; he probably just got caught up in talking to Vaughn over dismantling things or doing one of the side-jobs to keep the discount." With a sigh and a shrug he stood up, "if it'll put your mind at ease I'll run on down to the store and collect his ass."

Mel just shrugged and he left with a nod in her direction, doing his best not to let any sign of his own worry show for her. He had been feeling like someone had been watching them for the better part of the last week and even thought the missing blonde could sense it too when he noticed him looking around the other day. Jim had passed it off as the usual and he let it lie; the kid was too damn responsible for his own good.

He found himself jogging when he was out of sight of their shop and in a matter of minutes he was entering the parts store. Vaughn was at the counter and only one other person was visible roaming the aisles, he hid a frown as he noticed the familiar dirty blonde hair of his partner was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Vaughn, is Jim still here?"

"Hey Gene, was Jim supposed to come here? It's been a slow day so you're like the fifth person to enter the store since it opened this morning and Jim hasn't been one of them."

"You're sure?" He tried to keep the rising panic from showing on the outside; this was not a good development.

"Positive. And now that I think about it I'm surprised he didn't show up right when I opened, it's his normal day to restock parts isn't it."

Gene just gave a smile and made up some excuse as he left the shop and retraced his route back to their home. Jim wasn't the type to do something so completely irresponsible so that means that something happened to him on the way to the store. Now he just had to figure out a way to either keep this from Mel or break it to her in a way that wouldn't completely freak her out.

Meanwhile:

Jim was confused at what was going on, things just weren't adding up and he couldn't tell if he was being taken for an incompetent idiot or if he should be worrying. He had been kidnapped, that much he was sure of but while his mouth was duct-taped shut to keep him from calling for help, or more likely from trying to bite his captors again, and he was blindfolded they hadn't bothered to knock him out or tie him up, instead just pinning his arms and legs in submission holds. They had also taken his concealed pistol yet left his pocket computer and multi-purpose tool he left in his cargo pants out of habit.

The van stopped and he was carried out by the people holding his arms and legs tight into another vehicle which he determined was a type of a drop ship when he felt the vertical ascent without the massive gravitational pull associated with a full spaceship launch. After what felt like forever (but was probably less than an hour) the drop ship docked and once more he was picked up and hauled about. He was tossed unceremoniously into a room not too far from where the drop ship had docked and after he heard the lock click he ripped off his blindfold and the duct tape covering his mouth.

Examining the room he was locked in he resisted the urge to smack his forehead with the palm of his hand. It was furnished with just a cot, a small sink and a toilet; the door had a small opening on the bottom where food trays could be shoved through. He took another look around the room and found what he was searching for, hidden behind the cot was a ventilation duct and it looked to be just big enough for him to climb through.

The conflicting feelings of being taken for an idiot and being led on grew as he took out his still-present multi-purpose tool from his cargo pants and opened the vent. He let himself in the vent feet-first to close the vent behind him, it shouldn't be too long before he could feel a junction where he could maneuver and start crawling face-forward. The venting was dark but eventually he found his way to where he could both sit up and access the wiring giving him almost free access to start hacking their ship's computer.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Gene had been pacing through their living quarters for about an hour now, he needed a starting point to try and find his missing partner but it was always Jim who took care of information gathering. He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration, the only source of information he could use was Fred yet there was still a slim chance that something bad hadn't happened and if he jumped the gun with getting information from Fred then that held implications he didn't want to get in to. Thinking so much was giving him a headache and he wondered yet again how his young partner was not only able to do it so often, but stay relatively sane!

He heard the vid-phone ring and he all but ran for it hoping it was Jim. Somehow he managed to stop himself from turning on the phone and yelling his partner's name and answered it in his trademark smarmy "Starwind and Hawking, we repair anything from tractors to relationships."

The incoming video was a barely back-lit silhouette on a black background keeping the speaker's identity almost perfectly concealed. When it spoke it was with an obvious voice alteration program running, "Ah, good afternoon Mr. Starwind. By now even you should have noticed the absence of your partner; don't worry, so far he's fine. He has been… transferred into our custody for now and we're watching him. We just wanted to let you know that if you even think about contacting anyone about getting your missing partner back we will no longer be able to guarantee his safety. You will be contacted in the near future with further details and the demands. Remember Mr. Starwind, the continued health of your partner is determined by your level of cooperation." With that the connection was broken and Gene was left staring at the monitor in disbelief.

So stunned was he that he almost missed the light blinking on the monitor for a voice-only transmission and the soft voice of his partner. "..Eh, Aniki…

"Aniki, are you still there?" Jim's voice sounded quiet, tired and hinting on confused.

"Jim? JIM! Are you okay? Where are you? More importantly… WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!"

"Aniki, calm down. I can't be too loud here. Apparently they counted on me being too scared to think rationally so I'm okay for now and I'm not in the room they locked me in. I found a way into the maintenance shaft and while they took that pistol I carry they didn't take the pocket computer. I piggy-backed on their transmission but I probably should keep this short just in case.

"As for what happened, it should be obvious, I got jumped and I have no idea why. I was blindfolded so I can't be 100% sure but I think I got taken to an orbiting ship via a drop shuttle. I'm tempted to feel insulted for the lack of security they used, but now that I'm imbedded in their network I'm going to vent my frustration."

Gene couldn't believe what he was hearing but he just let his partner keep talking, glad to hear his voice even if he could hear the slight twinge of fear that laced it. "Anyway, Aniki, I need you to do me two favors tonight, okay. The first is getting the list of parts we need to restock; Gilliam should have a copy he can give you. Secondly, keep that job that's scheduled for tonight, we can't afford to lose that income; just remember that since it's you they expect you to swindle them."

"…Jim…"

"Aniki…" a soft sigh, "I'm okay for now. I need you to do those things for me and by the time you get back from the job tonight Gilliam should be able to trace my position. They didn't take my comm piece and I should be able to get a tracer beacon hidden in their relay. I have to close this line to keep them from tracing it themselves; I'll try to contact you again soon."

The line went dead once more and Gene just stood staring at the monitor dumbfounded. The pink can next to the computer popped open, "Gene, James sent a highly encrypted message in a subroutine during that transmission, apparently this text file holds his real message. I will display it on the monitor."

_Aniki,_

_I was taken this morning while on my way to restock our inventory and I don't know by whom or for what purpose. Things aren't adding up so I don't think that this is as simple as it appears. When I was jumped they blindfolded and gagged me but they didn't knock me out or bind my hands or feet instead just pinned me down; meaning they wanted me conscious and able to move freely. They took my concealed gun but left the pocket computer and the multi-purpose tool I have on me by habit. When we got to the ship I was thrown into a room without additional restraints. The room I was thrown in had a vent access "hidden" by a cot that just happened to lead almost directly to the maintenance shaft. Above that, they waited until I had hacked into their communication system before contacting you and spent enough time to let me establish a piggy-back transmission link WITHOUT MAKING ANY DEMANDS._

_I don't like this Aniki. If it wasn't for these slight inconsistencies I would just feel insulted that they didn't think I was a threat or was just a scared kid who couldn't do anything; but everything was set up too perfectly. It's like I was being led to break out of the room and into the maintenance shaft. I feel more like I'm being used as bait and not really as a hostage. There's something deeper going on here and I don't want you or Mel to get hurt because we didn't think things through._

_Give me time to pull information from the ship's computer. I'll be sending the information via partial-data micro-burst fragments to Gilliam; it'll take a while but it will keep the risk of it being discovered to virtually non-existent. The data being sent should be small enough that it would take someone actively watching for it to notice. By the time you get back from the job tonight you should have enough information to not walk into any traps blindly._

_Aniki… stay safe and don't rush in doing something stupidly reckless, I won't be with you to pull your ass out of the fire this time. I'll do what I can from here, but you'll have to rely on Gilliam and Mel._

"Seriously," Gene rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to take it all in, "that kid is way too smart for his own good. If our situations were reversed I doubt I would have noticed the vent shaft let alone been suspicious enough to feel it's a trap." He was feeling both better at knowing his partner was okay and more worried having confirmed that he had indeed been abducted and nothing could be done at this exact moment.

Mel placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "What are you going to do?"

Gene sat down hard in Jim's chair and leaned backwards in frustration, "The only thing we can do for now, do what Jim says. We're going to have to play things his way; it's going to drive me crazy but things are different than they normally are. If I go in guns blazing and castor loaded and primed like I want to it's the highest chance of getting Jim injured or killed; either in retaliation from the asswipes who took him or in the crossfire.

"Gilliam, forward a copy of Jim's list of parts to Vaughn and see if he can get those things together. I'll get ready for the job tonight and take Ehefrau out to pick up the parts then straight to the place."

"Gene? What should I do?"

He looked at Mel from his upside-down position and thought for a moment. "Well, I guess if you're religious it would be a good time to pray. If you're not then try to keep your mind busy.

"He wasn't laughing so that means his brain is working and if his brain is working then he's got at least a dozen tricks up his sleeve by default. If he's in their mainframe, even if they let him in, then he's in his element and I almost feel sorry for them. I've been on the ass end of some of his pranks when he's been pissed at me and it's never a good thing."

The pink can chose that moment to pop open, "Gene, Vaughn has agreed to get the items together so all you have to do is pay when you pick them up.

"Also, James has established the microburst data transfer of the information he is pulling from the ship's mainframe. It does not look like he is being selective in what he sends and is just transmitting everything once it's been decoded."

"Huh? He knows I don't have the patience to sift through excess information. Do you have any idea why he's doing that?"

The bot was quiet for a moment while he processed several scenarios. "The most logical conclusion is that James is conscious of the fact that he is likely to miss something important given his situation. I also do not think that he has consumed anything since his breakfast early this morning and this could also be affecting him."

Gene covered his eyes with a gloved hand, "Shit. And I bet he didn't go to bed last night either."

"Records indicate that he fell asleep at his desk approximately 2.4 hours before getting up to do inventory."

"Un-fuckin' believable. Running completely on empty and he's still a genius! Sometimes I swear the only stupid thing he does is stick with a slacker like me. I mean, look at the situations he keeps getting into because of me."

Melfina slapped him hard enough across his face to leave a mark, "Gene Starwind you take that back. You know full well he has stayed with you because he considers you his family."

Gilliam interrupted Mel's angry discourse, "Indeed. Actually, the preliminary results from the data I have been able to receive from James so far indicate that relation to you, Melfina or the Outlaw Star is a non-factor in his abduction."

Gene fell out of the chair, "WHAT!"

"According to some files left in the bat log the group that took James has also targeted other elite hackers."

Melfina quietly asked, "Do you know what happened to the others targeted by them?" as if she was afraid of the answer.

"I am afraid that a search of news providers indicates that the ones that have been found were all dead; some were partially dismembered."

Gene grabbed the tin can and started shaking it mercilessly. "Damn it you stupid pink piece of shit tell me where Jim is now. I changed my mind; we're getting him as soon as possible!"

"If you don't stop shaking me all chance of finding James will be lost." The shaking stopped the moment Gilliam managed to get that out.

"Out with it, where is he."

"I am unable to currently pinpoint his current coordinates. I can confirm that he is neither on this planet nor in the immediate orbital area; however due to the FTL communications not having any type of distance lag I can narrow down the search to an approximate radius. The exact coordinates will not be available for a couple of hours; which would be near the end of the repair job James scheduled and asked you to complete."

"Damnitall!" Gene cried in frustration and let the bot fall back onto the desk.

"Gene, if you leave now you should be able to swing past Vaughn's and still make it to the repair job on time."

Swearing excessively the red head grabbed his jacket and took the keys to Ehefrau then headed out.

Less than ten minutes later the front door burst open and an exuberant C'tarl C'tarl bound through the door yelling, "Okay Jimmy, something's gotta be very wrong if you're just letting Gene drive around in your precious car!"

The door was shut by the much calmer woman who had trailed the cat-woman in. "It seems that our suspicions that something was wrong were correct when we saw a distracted Gene alone in Ehefrau."

Melfina felt tears come to her eyes at the unexpected sight of the two friends, "You have no idea how happy I am you're here now."

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><p>AN: Sometimes it is true that if you ask, you can receive. I do have full intentions on completing this story, however, it is still not at the forefront of my scribbles.


End file.
